TikTok Trend Has Children Having Parts of Their Bowels Removed

Two children were forced to have life-saving surgery after copying a TikTok trend that resulted in them swallowing tiny magnets.

Both a 13-year-old girl and an 11-year-old boy had to have parts of their bowels removed, after trying to fool their parents into believing they had gotten mouth piercings.

Faye Elizabeth, from Liverpool in the UK, said she rushed her daughter to hospital after she started complaining of stomach pains and vomiting "black stuff".

"The pains got worse so I took her to Whiston Hospital. They thought it might have been her appendix at first," she told the Liverpool Echo.

"Then they ruled that out and thought it might have been gastroenteritis until she started vomiting black stuff," she said. "They did a scan and found 10 of the ball bearings."

In total, surgeons found 15 of the magnetic beads embedded in her bowel and appendix.

"They had to take part of her bowel away and re-stitch it," she said. "There was one stuck in her appendix so they had to remove that."

Just days earlier another UK grandmother, Sue Davies, reported her 11-year-old grandson Ellis Tripp had been left fighting for his life after his fake tongue piercing prank went a similar route.

During emergency surgery, surgeons got a shock when tiny magnets jumped out of his bowel and attached themselves to their tools.

"Ellis was taken to Worcestershire Royal Hospital on Wednesday (May 19) for emergency surgery for what was thought to be a burst appendix after a week of being poorly and then significantly getting worse," she told Worchester News.

"Things took a turn whilst in theatre - Peritonitis a serious infection was confirmed but his appendix was fine, which caused confusion. Then the surgeons had to go searching. Internal damage was found to his intestines and bowel."

"During the keyhole surgery the tiny magnets popped through the bowel and attached to the operating equipment."

They found three in total; but fearing more magnets inside, he then had to be transferred to another hospital to undergo a second emergency surgery in as many days, where indeed two more of the tiny metal beads were found.

Surgeons were forced to remove a five inch chunk of his bowl to get them out.

"He is seriously, seriously ill. Two major surgeries in just a few days isn't good for anybody, let alone a child," his grandmother said at the time. "I am absolutely gutted. It has been a truly horrific experience. We didn't think this could have ever happened to us, these tiny magnetic balls have caused such damage."

The boy's mother Amy Clarke posted a stern warning for other parents on Facebook:

"I'm in a nightmare. This TikTok craze could/would have killed him if left any longer. Please talk to your children and tell them how DANGEROUS THESE ARE. Magneto Beads are deadly if swallowed. They even have them in educational/childcare settings for children to play with. DESTROY THEM...!!!!!"